


Guess Again

by IamBumbleshootTheMagnificent



Series: Guess Who: The Series of Semi-Short Stories [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is just Adrien, Adrien is precious, Adrien's great idea to come, All. The. Angst., Alya and Nino win awards for best besties ever, Alya is the pushiest, Dupain-Chengs cannot handle gifts, F/M, Fluff, Get ready for some more fluff, I keep changing my mind with the plot guys, I swear this is the worst combination of procrastination and annoyance, I'm sorry guys I swear I'm still working on this, Just slowly, Mari is shy, Marinette has no chill, Nino is smooth but still his weird self, Original Characters are a thing, SO FLUFFY, SO SORRY, Stuff is gonna happen, Whooooo., also happy valentine's day (2-14-18), and mystery, and still relatively oblivious, be prepared for lots of shipping, but also angst, but he's starting to understand, very slowly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamBumbleshootTheMagnificent/pseuds/IamBumbleshootTheMagnificent
Summary: A continuation of my work "Guess Who."Marinette finds herself in an unexpected situation. Adrien learns some stuff about himself, his family, and his friends. Plagg and Tikki have a good time. :)(Also: there is a time jump of about two-ish weeks between the end of "Guess Who" and the beginning of "Guess Again." It will be explained in the story, but just know: Adrien woke up. Tikki was found. Other things happened, but they will, again, be introduced in the story.)





	1. A Present for Adrien

**Author's Note:**

> Quick A/N: Sorry this is so late to be updated. I know I promised it like three weeks ago. I suck, I know. But, hey! I'm writing again and that's great. Updates will be slow on this, as usual, but hopefully they won't be as slow as Pt. 1 was, right? 
> 
> Anyway...enjoy!

There was the sound of a knock on the door. It swung open before the boy sitting on his bed could get up and answer it. Entering the room, the blue-black haired girl adjusted her grip on the box in her arms.

“Hey,” Adrien Agreste greeted his visitor with a smile, sitting up straighter.

“Hey,” Marinette Dupain-Cheng replied shyly, blushing after meeting his bright green eyes. She paused next to his doorway, unsure of herself. He gestured for her to come over and patted the bed next to him.

“Sit,” he invited. She shrugged and walked to his bed, cautiously sitting down next to his blanketed legs.

“How are you feeling?” She looked him over, trying to be casual about it. He grinned, noticing her quick examination.

“Fine. Great, actually, considering everything that’s happened. I’ve been healing pretty well. I’m sure you heard, but I was only in a coma for ten days. The doctors’ opinion is that I should be almost completely healed in time for school, whenever it starts again.”

“Good, good,” Marinette said, looking at her feet as she swung them off the edge. “Alya said it should be up and going in a week or two,” she glanced at him and away.

“I wanted to…” she trailed off, and they were quiet for a minute.

“Marinette…” Adrien prodded, tapping lightly on her shoulder as she faced away from him. “What’s in the box?”

“Uhm, it’s something for you. From Alya and Nino and I.” This was a lie of course; it was actually from _just_ her.

“Ooh, I get a present,” he grinned broadly and she placed the medium-sized, wonderfully decorated box on his lap. He looked down at it for a long moment and he thought he heard a snicker from under his pillow.

He sent a subtle glare at his hidden friend and turned back to Marinette.

“Really, you didn’t have to get me anything, Mari,” he smiled kindly at her. She met his eyes with her bright blue ones for half a moment before looking down, a blush deepening the color in her already-flushed cheeks.

“Just open it already. You can’t give it back,” she said quietly.

With a chuckle, Adrien carefully tore open the beautiful wrapping paper to reveal a plain cardboard box. He glanced up at Marinette, but she just gestured for him to keep going. He turned back to the box and opened the lid.

Brightly colored fabric met his gaze, with a pattern that he couldn’t quite see. A warmth flared unexpectedly inside his chest as he pulled the fabric out of the box, surprised at how large her gift was. The warmth spread to his whole body as he examined it.

“It’s…” Adrien stopped, unable to keep going as his breath caught in his throat.

“It’s a quilt,” Marinette said simply and smiled, helping him smooth it onto his lap. The two of them looked at the design, Adrien drinking in every piece. It was made of a collage of pictures of their friends, ranging from the last few years to a month before the fire. There were many of the four of them, Alya and Nino falling over each other while Mari and Adrien laughed wholeheartedly. On the outside of the pictures were designs that screamed of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and especially Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Adrien sat, looking at the quilt, for several long minutes. He seemed speechless and Marinette slowly became uncomfortable.

“If you don't, uhm, like it...I can always-”

“No!” Adrien cut her off, meeting her gaze while wrapping his arms around his gift. Marinette was stunned to see tears in his eyes. He continued before she could say anything else. “It’s the best gift _ever_. Thank you.”

Their eyes caught and held. Slowly, because she simply couldn’t stop herself, Marinette reached out and wiped away some of the tears from Adrien’s cheek. He jumped a little at the touch, but he didn’t pull away. His hand went to hers and pulled it down to his lap. Marinette shivered at how _warm_ his hands were as they wrapped around hers.

“Thank you.” he repeated, sincerity choking his words again. “You’re an amazing friend.”

Marinette blushed again, unaware of the tears that had begun to leak from her eyes as well. “I’ve missed you,” she said quietly.

“Me too.”

The two teenagers sat for several long moments, simply drinking in the feeling of being with their friend. They didn’t realize, but a tiny feeling in their chests unfurled at that moment. They felt whole, as they hadn’t in weeks. They were together again, Chat Noir and Ladybug. But neither one’s consciousness acknowledged this fact. They simply sat quietly, without knowing why they were suddenly so happy once again.


	2. Alya Cannot Keep a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say that...Alya messes up. :)

Their quiet, touching moment was interrupted by the loud ring of a cell phone. They both jumped and pulled away from each other. Marinette scrambled through her purse for her phone, finally locating it, at the bottom of course. She didn’t even look at the caller ID before putting it to her ear.

“Hello?” she answered it breathlessly.

“So...how did it go? Did he like it?” Alya’s loud, excited voice echoed through the phone. Forgetting where she was for a moment, Marinette pulled the phone away from her ear and rolled her eyes. She listened to Alya talk at high-speed, letting her best friend run of out of words before she put the phone back to her ear.

“It went great. He loved it,” Mari glanced at Adrien who was grinning widely at her. He knew Alya as well as she did, of course, and they were both well aware of how long their friend could talk if uninterrupted.

“Awww. He did? Did you tell him that lie about it being from Nino and me like you said you were going to? Cause I swear, Mari, for once in your life just take credit for something! You’ve been working on that for MONTHS, and if it hadn’t been at my apartment that day, it would’ve burned down with your house. Even with how worried you’ve been about your parents and their bakery and everything, you’ve been working hardcore to get it  _ finished _ just so he could have it! So, do what I say and take credit hun!” 

Marinette’s eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open as she carefully avoided eye contact with Adrien. If she  _ had _ looked at him, she would have seen a look of complete shock followed by wry humor. She took a breath to interrupt her best friend, but before she could, Alya started chattering again.

“Anyways, where are you at? I thought you would be back here by now, especially since you can’t put two words together in front of him. My mom wants us to help with dinner and I thought after that you and I could go out. Maybe walk along the Seine and talk. I know you’ve not been feeling too happy with how everything is, especially being stuck in my family’s tiny apartment all day long. I think Nino said something about school restarting next week instead of the week after.”

Marinette hesitated, not sure what to say without embarrassing herself even more in front of Adrien than Alya already had.

“Mari?” Alya’s confused tone made Marinette clear her throat.

“I’m kinda still at his house…” she said hesitantly.

“You’re  _ what _ ? Oh-em-gee gurl!  _ Why didn’t you say something earlier?  _ Okay, sorry, I’ll see you when you get back here!” With that, Alya hurriedly hung up.

Marinette sat, stunned into utter, embarrassed silence. She stood without looking at her friend, not wanting to see his face. Not wanting him to see  _ her _ bright red face.

“Wait, Mari,” Adrien said, reaching out to grab her arm. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, and then turned to face him. His expression was not even close to what she was expecting.

He was...worried.

“I heard about the fire and your house, but I didn’t know where you were staying. Is Alya’s really so hard? How are your parents?” He tugged on her arm, trying to pull her back to sit on his bed.

Marinette let him pull her back, if only because she couldn’t resist the utter kindness in his eyes. 

“It’s pretty hard, yeah.” she answered honestly. “With her parents and her four sisters, as well as my parents and me, it’s gotten really crowded. Alya and I gave up her room to my parents and we are sleeping in the living room.” she paused, unsure whether or not to go on. 

Adrien nodded vigorously, and Mari sighed. “My parents are desperate: with the bakery gone, we don’t have any money. They have savings but not enough to get us back on our feet.” 

“I’m sorry,” he said, grabbing her hand again and giving it a squeeze. “I wish I could do something to help…” He glanced out his windows, a thoughtful look on his expressive face. 

“Really, Adrien, it’s fine.  _ You’re  _ the one who’s been in a  _ coma _ for the last couple weeks!” Marinette shook her head vigorously, trying to push her worry for him away. 

“Well,” Adrien shrugged, turning back to face her, “it sounded like you were needed elsewhere. Thank you so much for the quilt.” He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her before she could react. 

Without her telling them to, her arms went to his back; her body relaxed in the warmth of his friendly embrace. 

“I will hopefully see you soon,” he said, pulling back to kiss her on the cheek. “Thank you a million times: you are a truly wonderful friend.” He let Mari go, unaware of the pain splintering through her chest at his last word. 

She stood up, trying desperately to be steady on her feet. “Bye Adrien,” she smiled at him and walked to his door. With a wave, she opened the door, exited, and closed it behind her.

Just like that, she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	3. Adrien's Great Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's sweet little heart comes up with a great idea that will affect...basically everyone. Also, Hawkmoth hints and Gabriel is not being a jerk for once. :)

“Hello Father,” Adrien greeted his dad as he entered the dining room on unsteady feet. Gabriel watched him slowly walk to the table, his hands on the arms of the chair; he was ready to jump up and help his son should Adrien lose his balance. 

“Really, I’m fine.”Adrien gave Gabriel a small wry smile as he settled in his chair, resisting the urge to roll his eyes in good humor. Their relationship had come a long way in the last month and a half since the fire, but he didn’t think Gabriel was  _ quite _ ready for rolled eyes. 

They were quiet while several of the servants set a beautiful meal before them. Only when the silent, slender young men left the room and Gabriel picked up his fork did Adrien’s courage finally find him. 

“So, Dad…” Adrien hesitated, surprised by the word that escaped from his lips. But Gabriel just gave him a rare smile and raised his eyebrows. 

For a moment, Adrien was distracted by the rapid change in his father. He had not seen Gabriel smile in at least six years. Adrien was struck by the unexpected but happy situation they were in. However, in the back of his mind, a small voice (that sounded a lot like Plagg at his most snide) told him that this change was temporary. 

Adrien pushed away his thoughts and cleared his throat. “You know that my friend Marinette came by earlier, right?” 

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng? Yes, I was aware.” Gabriel said before returning to eating. 

Adrien ate a bite, not tasting it in his nervousness, and swallowed quickly before continuing. “She and her parents lived on 12 Rue Gotlib, which was above their bakery. It burned down in the fire.” 

“I see.” Gabriel said shortly, and Adrien hurried on, seeing the flash of annoyance in his father’s eyes. 

“They lost everything and they’ve been living with our friend Alya’s family in their apartment. I guess they’ve been having a hard time, not that Mari would have told me. Alya mentioned it, and I’ve been thinking…” He stopped, swallowing nervously.

“Yes?” Gabriel’s impatience, despite his new positive attitude, was creeping into his voice. 

“Would it be okay if they came and stayed with us for a while? Just for enough time for them to get back on their feet? They can stay in the East Wing since I don’t have tutors staying there anymore.” Adrien paused, trying to read his father’s expression. There was  _ something _ in Gabriel’s face but Adrien couldn’t quite comprehend it. Was it...annoyance? Frustration? It was gone before he could figure it out. 

“They wouldn’t be too much of a bother, I dont think. And they don’t know that I was asking; this was my idea. I think they’re too humble to ask and-” Adrien cut himself off abruptly as Gabriel raised a hand. 

“You want them to come stay with us?” His voice was smooth, without inflection to show emotion. Adrien felt a shiver go down his spine; had he angered Gabriel? But he gathered his courage again and nodded vigorously.

“Well, I suppose,” Gabriel said, watching Adrien fidget in his chair, “if it means that much to you… Yes, they can stay here. For six months, at most.”

Adrien couldn’t believe his ears; he shook his head to clear it. 

“You, you’ll…” he stuttered, unable to make his mouth move because of his scattered thoughts. He hadn’t expected his father to agree  _ this easily _ , let alone at all!

“Yes, I will allow them to stay.” Gabriel repeated, a small grin flashing onto his lips at his son’s stunned expression. “I will tell Natalie to clear out the wing; they can move in as soon as the end of this week. However, I expect you to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng are aware of our house rules. They won’t be expected to pay rent as they are so, as you put it, inconvenienced by their situation. But, as you know, I have little patience for messes and loud noises. Make them aware of that as well.”

Adrien was nodding vigorously during Gabriel’s speech, “I will, Father. Thank you.” Adrien stood up, leaving his food mostly uneaten, and ran to his dad. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck: something he hadn’t done since he was very young. 

Gabriel was taken aback but did not reject his son’s hug. In fact, he actually returned it. The two Agrestes embraced for a long, long moment before Adrien let go. He was blushing and he took several steps backwards. 

There was a moment of silence before Gabriel smiled and said, “I suppose you want to call your friend and let her know about your idea.” 

“Yes! Please.” Adrien’s smile covered his whole face.

“Alright. Go on. I will see you tomorrow. Do not forget to take your medicine.”

“Yes Father,” Adrien said, eagerness making him shiver. “Thank you!”

Then Adrien sprinted down the hallway to his room. He  _ had _ to call Nino and tell his friend about everything.


	4. Unexpected Parties and Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has things sprung on her and she does NOT like it. Also, she's just kind of freaked out...She's really not a big spontaneous person. Not recently anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go again...Are you ready for more? :)

“Alya! Mari!”

The voice made the two girls in ankle-length jackets of deep blue turn in unison. A smile split both faces and they paused.

“Bonjour Nino,” Alya greeted him, kissing his cheek when he was close enough. She wrapped her arm around his and the three of them started down the windy street.

“You won't believe what I'm going to tell you!” he exclaimed as they ducked the branch of a nearby tree that whipped into their path.

“Oh? Do tell.” Alya’s grin was conspiring and she winked, quite aware of the content Nino’s news.

“Not here,” Nino said, glancing around. “It’s going to rain, and I can’t really tell it right anyway. Come on.” He and Alya started off down a different street, Marinette following them in confusion.

“What’s going on?” Mari muttered under her breath, glancing into her purse to check on Tikki. Her kwami sat in the bottom of the bag, rolled in the handkerchief Marinette had stuffed there for her comfort. She smiled up at her friend and winked.

"Tikki, do _you_ know what's going on?" Marinette asked in a whisper, staring wide-eyed at her little friend. 

"Yep." Tikki squeaked with another wink.

"Well, what is it?" Marinette demanded, glancing up to check that Alya and Nino were still walking. They were. 

"I won't tell you." 

"Tikki, I'm really not in the mood. I'm already stressed with everything with the Bakery and my parents. I cannot handle anything else." Mari's voice cracked and she bit her lip to stop the tears from falling. She would  _not_ cry. It was  _not_ happening. Tikki floated up to the top of the bag and patted the girl's hand comfortingly. 

"Don't worry, Marinette. This is a  _good_ thing! I promise. Now go on; follow them." Tikki smiled encouragingly and Mari closed the bag with a groan. 

"Fine," she said grumpily. She ran to catch up to her friends. 

They walked until they reached a massive cream-colored building; Alya and Nino walked through the open gate. Marinette stopped in her tracks, suspicion rising in an instant.

“Alya?” she called, hesitating at the open gate.

“Come on!” Alya said, turning to see her friend was not behind them. Marinette shook her head and took a step backwards.

“I….don’t want to.”

“Don’t you dare. Stop being a baby. It’s fine,” Alya retorted, stomping over to grab Mari’s arm. Nino, grinning widely, grabbed the other one. The two of them dragged her to the front door of Adrien’s giant house.

“Take a breath,” Alya coached as Marinette started to hyperventilate. “Stop freaking out. This isn’t a big deal. We are just here to hang out with Adrien.”

She glared at Marinette until the girl took two large breaths. Alya grinned, patting her on the head. Nino, seeing the situation was handled, reached up and knocked three times on the large door.

The doors swung open almost instantly. As they opened, a cacophony of sound -cheers, chatter, laughter- swarmed them.

Marinette turned bright red (as red as her kwami) and tried to turn and run. Alya laughed and pushed her into the house. It was filled with tons of people; people Marinette _knew_.

She smiled grimly at Rose and Juleka, who called a greeting. She also waved half-heartedly to more of her classmates, who were dispersed around the very crowded entry room.

“What’s going on?” she muttered to Alya, who shook her head and pretended she couldn’t hear. She pulled Mari's jacket off and left with Nino; Mari stood awkwardly by the door for a moment before she tried going after them. But they slipped between two larger groups of chattering people and were gone. 

With a sigh, Marinette gave up for the moment, inwardly swearing Alya _would_ pay for this later. She wandered further into the room, glancing at the wonderful decorations.

 _How in the world did Adrien convince Gabriel to let him_ do _this?_

The fashion icon was nowhere to be seen, but she saw Adrien standing at the foot of the stairs. He was….talking to her parents?

The three of them saw her before she could fade back into the crowd. They called to her and she walked over to them in a trance.

“Hey guys,” she said cautiously as her mom gave her a big hug. “So what’s this about? I thought you guys were supposed to be scoping out a place to live? What is going on?”

“Well, well,” Mr. Dupain-Cheng said with a hearty laugh, “it seems Alya _can_ keep a secret after all.”

“Tom!” Sabine giggled and smacked her husband’s arm. “Hush.”

Marinette’s face scrunched in confusion, even as she felt the first pangs of irritation (coupled with a fear she refused to acknowledge) gurgle in her stomach. Her parents _knew_ how much she hated being out of the loop.

“Guys, come on,” she crossed her arms and glared at her smiling parents; she had almost forgotten Adrien’s presence completely. Almost.

The two adults exchanged another grin before glancing at Adrien. The blond shrugged.

“Guess I’ll take it from here. Thank you and congratulations.”

“Thank _you_ , Adrien. We will never repay you for your kindness, but be assured: you eat at the Dupain-Cheng’s for free. Forever.” Tom said, putting his large arm around his tiny wife and then he led her away. Sabine waved and suddenly, Marinette was alone. With Adrien.

Cue internal panic attack.

_Maman, Papa, I will pay you back for this._

“Come on Mari,” Adrien said, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes as he offered his arm to her.

 _Why must he be_ such _a gentleman? It’s not fair._ Marinette thought as she took the offer with a shaking hand. She wrapped her own arm around his bicep and he pulled her in next to him as they walked. He led her quickly from the crowded room and up the stairs. Neither of them spoke as he dragged her along; Marinette found she couldn’t speak.

So many emotions were running wild inside her chest and she felt overwhelmed. She felt like her whole world was spinning in the wrong direction. It was all she could do to just hold onto Adrien’s arm and breathe as they walked.


	5. Roomies, Whether You Like it or Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is stubborn and Marinette is a puddle of goo on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because it is Spring Break, I've had more time to work on this, so here's a gift to you from me. Another chapter! Yayyyy. I'll try to get back to steady uploading again (meaning another chapter end of this week or beginning of next) but I promise nothing. I don't wanna get your hopes up. 
> 
> Anywho...Enjoy! Hope you like it. :) 
> 
> {All of the fluff is for you who requested it}

Marinette was on the edge of falling apart but pulled herself back together before she could make an idiot of herself in front of Adrien. They reached his room, which Marinette had supposed was their destination the second they left the entry room, and paused outisde the door.

Adrien grinned widely and half-bowed before pushing open the door. They walked inside and he let go of her arm. She tried not to feel upset about that, even as she took another step further into the room. He closed the door behind her and there was a beat of silence.

“Sit down,” he gestured graciously to the room.

Marinette glanced at his bed, which was closest, and blanched. After a moment of hesitation, she sat down on a couch by his window that had not been there the last time she was. She untangled her purse from around her neck and put it carefully on the floor. She looked back at Adrien and their eyes met for a moment.

She rapidly turned to face outside, very aware of the heat rushing through her neck and face. Paris glittered outside his window, bustling with daytime traffic and the glow that it always seemed to emit, even when the Sun was up.

“So….” he started, sitting down next to her. _Right_ next to her. Marinette was silent as she continued to stare out at the city. When it seemed like she was not going to respond, no matter how much time she was given, Adrien tapped on her arm.

The warmth of his touch startled her and she turned to face him again. He smiled and she blushed, glancing away and wiping very sweaty hands on her blue jeans.

“So,” he said again, raising his eyebrows at her.

“So, what?” she said, finally getting her voice back as she glanced at him again.

“So, aren’t you wondering what’s going on downstairs?”

“Well, yeah. I’m also wondering how I’m going to get back at Alya and Nino and my parents for letting me walk into this, this _mess_ , with no idea of what is happening.” Marinette blinked, surprised at her honesty. She supposed that her aggravation with them was overruling her usual anxiety. At least for the moment.

He laughed and she met his gaze with surprise. “You can blame me for that, actually. I knew you probably wouldn’t come if I asked. Alya says you hate big crowds.”

Marinette snorted, feeling herself relax even more. She had gotten over a lot of her previous anxiety around him within the last few years, but their recent separation had brought much of it back. “That’s quite the understatement. So, are you going to tell me what’s happening or not? Why am I here? Why are _they_ all here?

Adrien smiled, running his hand through his hair as he spoke, “I just want you to know this isn’t out of pity. We are friends. And friends help each other when they’re in need. I know you’d do the exact same thing for me.”

“Okay?” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Are you going to stop being cryptic?”

“Never,” he smirked as she rolled her eyes at him and they laughed. “Also, your parents already agreed so you don’t have a choice.” He paused again and she gestured for him to continue.

“I spoke to my father and….you are moving in by the end of this week.”

Marinette’s mouth opened and she stared at him. “What?”

“I said-”

“I know what you said, I’m just _confused_. I’m moving in? To your house? As in, we will be living together?”

“Well, you and your parents and me and my father will all be living together, yes. I’ve extended an invitation for you to stay here as long as you need to. No conditions. No stress. Just simple house guests for the foreseeable future.”

“Adrien, I….” Marinette jumped up and began to pace, her hands balled into fists. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much, I-”

“Nonsense,” Adrien interrupted her; he stood up and put his hands on her shoulders. “I told you Mari, this _isn’t_ charity. It’s friendship.”

Marinette opened her mouth to protest again and he put a hand over her lips.

“Hush and take my gift because you don’t actually have a choice.” Adrien stared at her, his deep, deep green eyes piercing into her soul. He smiled and the kindness spilling from his smile made her whole body turn to jelly.

She couldn’t say no.

She nodded and Adrien smiled even wider. He took his hand away from her mouth and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she buried her face in his chest.

“You’re welcome,” he whispered back just as quietly. He tightened his grip on her and then pulled away. Marinette tried to pull herself together, even though she felt she could have stood in the comfort of his arms for _years_.

He put a friendly arm around her shoulder. “Come on roomie, let’s go join the welcoming party.” Marinette laughed and let him lead her from the room. She did not look back, but if she had she would have noticed that her kwami had left the shelter of her purse and was sitting on the arm of the couch with a small, black cat.


	6. There's Always Time for a Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the long break in chapters, my friends. BUT, I have some great news for you. I have three or four new chapters ready to post, and so I actually have them SCHEDULED like REAL updates. This is my celebratory re-start, as I am starting college in almost exactly a week, and I will be a good little author and stop procrastinating....Hopefully. Depending on how freaking busy I am. Anywho...here's chapter six. Please enjoy and leave me happy comments about how excited you are because that makes me super happy! :) 
> 
> Love,   
> Bumble <3

There was a knock on the open door and Marinette glanced at it. She smiled shyly and waved Adrien in. He took a couple steps into the wide, open room, glancing around as he did. There were half-opened boxes, clothes and random items spread everywhere around the room.

“Still settling in?” he asked as she met his eyes and glanced away.

“Yep,” she said quickly. She went back to folding the clothes from the box in front of her. 

“There are….more things here than I would’ve thought. Did you guys save a lot from the fire?” He walked over and picked up one of her shirts. He shook it out and then folded it haphazardly.

“No, Adrien, not like  _ that _ !” Marinette laughed and took the shirt away from him. At the touch of their hands, she felt a soft shock. Quickly, she removed her hand and exaggerated the movements required to properly fold the shirt. She demonstrated it for him, twice for good measure, and then held it out to him. 

He took it from her with a nervous laugh. “Honestly, I just throw my clothes in the drawers. There’s no point in folding them or organizing them if I’m just going to pull them out and throw them on!” He folded it correctly and put it on her bed, which was next to him. 

“That’s ridiculous. I may have to come in there and fix it for you. You’re a model! You should care more about your clothes.” she grinned at him and they laughed as he rolled his eyes. 

“Sure, you can help me organize. But don’t expect it to last long; I am tornado. I leave everything a mess in my wake. The only reason the whole house isn’t a mess is because Father would kill me. And Melinda is the best housekeeper we’ve ever had.” 

Marinette grinned at him and they lapsed into comfortable silence for a couple minutes. The silence was broken by Adrien, who groaned and tossed the shirt he was holding back onto the pile. 

“Honestly, how are you still going? Yes, I get it, you are dedicated and have a great work ethic but this is sooooo boring!” He collapsed onto her bed, laying on the clothes already placed there.

“Adrien!” Marinette complained, though her tone was light. “I have to get this all done by tonight.  _ Maman  _ and  _ Pere  _ said they would be bringing some dressers and whatnot for me when they get back from their shopping.”

Adrien grinned and flipped over to his stomach to look at her. “How long have you been working?” 

“I don’t know,” Marinette glanced out the solitary window and then at her phone, which was on the floor next to the bed. “What time is it?”

“Seven-thirty,” Adrien stated without taking his eyes off her.

“Wow, well I guess I’ve been working for at least three hours.”

“Straight?” 

“Yeah….” Marinette threw an annoyed look around the room at the mostly-full boxes. “With not many results, apparently.”

“Then it’s time for a break!” he proclaimed and sat up, grabbing her hand. She opened her mouth to argue, but he was already running out of the room, dragging her with him. She squeaked in surprise as they turned a corner sharply and she slipped on the slick marble floors. Her socks lost their traction and she fell, taking him with her as she did.

They fell heavily; she landed on top of him and for a moment, they were  _ very _ close. Their faces were inches apart and Marinette felt her breath catch. She blinked, staring directly into his emerald eyes, and then came to herself. 

“Oh. Sorry!” She pulled away and sat on the floor next to him. He laughed and sat up, smiling widely at her.

“Well I guess I learned my lesson about making you run.” He kicked his legs up and out, then stood up, so effortless in the movement that Marinette felt jealous. He offered his hand to her and she took it without hesitation. He pulled her up and again, they were  _ too _ close. Marinette looked up into Adrien’s eyes and felt her breath stop. 

His expression softened and she felt her whole body melt. There was something in his eyes, a certainty and steadiness that made her unable to move. 

“Adrien?” she asked, in little more than a whisper. Her voice caught in her throat before she could continue.

“Yes?” he replied, just as calmly.

She opened her mouth to speak but her brain supplied her with words  _ other _ than what she had wanted to say: “You’re standing on my foot.” 

“Oh!” He pulled away from her, the depth leaving his expression as he laughed. “Sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. Now, about that distraction?” 

“Right!” He grabbed her hand again and they started down the hallway with less speed. Marinette tried to push away the warmth that she felt from the touch of their hands as she considered what he could possibly have planned for them. 

They reached his room and her heart seemed to beat harder. She inwardly scolded it to  _ calm down _ as he pushed open his door. He let go of her hand and pushed her to the couch they had sat on a couple days previously. She sat down and watched him as he rushed around his room, gathering things. When he was finished, Marinette laughed at what was in front of her. 

“Chess? Really, Adrien? I’m supposed to play  _ you _ in chess? Didn’t I hear somewhere that you’re some sort of prodigy?” 

Adrien showed his white teeth in a half-grin, half-smirk. “Pure gossip.” 

“Sure….” she muttered as he settled across from her on the cushion he had grabbed for himself.

“Ladies first,” he prompted and she sighed, her hand hesitating over a white piece. 

“Okay, but I was serious about needing to get my room finished.” She moved a pawn on the left side of the board.

“I know. I already asked the staff to finish unpacking the boxes and folding the clothes. They were waiting for us to leave so they could get started.” He moved his own pawn on the opposite side of the board. Marinette stared at him with her mouth open wide.

“You-what?” 

“Eh, I figured you’d had enough stress for a while. It was time for a break. They’ll have the room organized in no time and if you don’t like it, you can always change it. Or ask them too,” he winked. “For now, though, I want you to focus on this.” 

“I...don’t….what?” Marinette still stared at her blond friend. With a smirk, he leaned forward and tapped her chin. She shut her mouth and turned red. He straightened and nodded at the board between them. 

“Chess. Focus.” 

“Right.” 

She  _ did _ focus. And she actually beat him, of which she was very proud of herself, despite the fact that she was  _ pretty _ sure he let her win. 

“Rematch!” he complained as she did a victory dance. She smiled slyly and reset the board.

He lost. Again.   



	7. Breakfast of Awkwardness (Uh, I Mean: Champions)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is chapter seven. A week after the last one. Look at me being a good little author. ;)

Sitting at the long table, Marinette fidgeted in her chair. She felt uncomfortable, sitting across from Adrien’s stony-faced father. Neither the food, nor Adrien, had arrived yet and Marinette was chewing on her lip out of nervousness.

She deeply wished her parents were here. Or Natahlie. Or someone. But her mother and father had left an hour earlier to do some real estate shopping. And she had no idea where Gabriel’s assistant was.

So it was just her. And Mr. Agreste. Sitting in too-awkward silence.

Mari fidgeted some more, trying desperately to figure out something to say. After being friends with Adrien for three-plus years, she was sure there was _some_ subject she and Gabriel could discuss. But none were coming to mind. She glanced up at him and saw his eyes were on her as well. Blushing, she looked quickly away, afraid of making a fool of herself.

Thankfully, at that moment, the door to her right swung open. She glanced at it and heaved a very quiet sigh of relief. There stood Adrien, in all his _Hi-I-Just-Woke-Up_ perfection. Seriously, it annoyed her that he looked so good even with his blonde hair disheveled, sticking up in all directions, and his greenest-of-green eyes foggy with sleep.

“Morning Father. Hey Mari,” he glanced between them and then sat in what Marinette assumed was his usual seat, at his father’s right-hand side. Mari blushed in embarrassment as she realized she had chosen the _wrong_ seat. She mentally kicked herself for not asking Adrien how the seating usually worked in the mornings. It was the first time she had been at the table for breakfast with them and she felt she was already leaving a very solid impression that she was an idiot.

“Adrien,” Gabriel began, and then hesitated as he threw a glance at their guest. He cleared his throat and then continued, “You’re late.”

It was obvious to Marinette that he had changed his mind about what he was going to say and she flushed again.

“Sorry Father,” Adrien said with a smile and threw a glance of his own at Mari. Subtly, using the eye his dad couldn’t see, Adrien winked at her. Mari felt one of the knots in her midsection unravel.

Still, if her stomach hadn’t been practically _roaring_ from hunger, she might’ve gotten up and gone back to her room. Alas, she was saved from making that decision herself as people, wearing matching outfits of black slacks and white button-up shirts, entered the room carrying trays of steaming food.

The servers hesitated for a millisecond before placing the food in front of the Agrestes. Mari saw two of them exchange uncertain looks with one another before they shrugged and left. Mari felt a rush of shame as she resisted the urge to bury her head in her hands. There wasn’t even a plate set in front of her seat. What was she supposed to do now?

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng?”

Her head jerked up at the sound of Mr. Agreste’s too-patient voice.

“Would you care to join us?” he gestured to the seat next to Adrien. Marinette didn’t respond, only stood, pushing her chair back in, and then hurrying to take the offered seat. She knew her face was bright red but she couldn’t do much about it now.

Adrien passed her a blueberry muffin, still warm from the oven and she whispered, “Thank you.” He grinned and started in on his plate of freshly picked fruit.

After a too-quiet breakfast, which ended when Adrien glanced at the large clock over his father’s head and mentioned the time, Mari and Adrien went upstairs to their rooms. As soon as they left the room, she sighed heavily.

“That bad, huh?” he smirked at her and she nudged him, rolling her eyes.

“I’m just such a mess around your dad.” _And you_ , she added mentally.

“He can be pretty intimidating, I know.” Adrien spoke as they climbed the stairs to their rooms. Instead of turning right at the top of the staircase, he followed her to her room. “But he actually really likes you.”

Mari snorted in disbelief as she ruffled through her things, looking for her school bag. When she turned around, she noticed he was still standing there, leaning in her open doorway with his ever-present smile. She smiled back without hesitation and then followed him as he turned to walk down the hallway.

He led the way to his room, which she still felt strange about entering so casually, even after the _several hours_ the two of them had spent there the night before. After chess, she had proceeded to smash him in _Spot It!_ and _Phase Ten_. She was still pretty smug about that.

She followed his example from before, leaning against his door frame as he wandered around his room, gathering his school things. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and pulled it out. She messaged Alya back, biting back a sigh as she did. While she was distracted, Plagg flew from his hiding spot under Adrien’s bed and smuggled himself into Adrien’s jacket pocket. He had just settled there as she glanced back up.

Adrien gave her a big smile as their gazes met. “You ready?”

“Sure, I guess,” she shrugged. He nodded and walked over to her; she moved out of his way but he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and dragged her along with him.

 _Don’t blush. Don’t blush. Don’t blush. He’s just being friendly._ Mari tried to convince herself as they walked down towards the front doors. He paused, pulling away from her to open the door for her. She choked on her “Thank you” and it came out as more of a cough, but he didn’t seem to mind.

As she stepped outside, the chilly wind hit her. With a barely muffled moan, she glanced up at the sky. It was dark-grey with clouds and she could practically _smell_ the thunder. She looked up and down the street, trying to make the decision of which way to go for school. As she started towards the right, she felt a sharp tug on her bag, which she had slung around her shoulders.

“What?” she turned to face Adrien, who was raising one of his perfect eyebrows at her.

“Uhm, where are you going Mari?”

“School…?” she responded, confusion coloring her tone at his expression.

“Yeah. Except you’re going the wrong way.” Adrien gestured to the sleek black limousine which was parked in front of his house.

“Oh,” she whispered and then walked uncertainly towards the intimidating vehicle. She had never been in a limo, let alone _his_ limo. Before she could open the door, Adrien’s chauffeur, whom they all called Gorilla behind his back, was there. His blank expression didn’t change as she slid in, quickly followed by Adrien.

As Mari’s eyes adjusted to the difference of lighting in the car, she was stunned to find that Adrien had slid himself _right_ next to her. As in, when she moved her arm, she brushed her hand against his leg. She blushed, but he didn’t seem to notice. Quickly, she turned to look out her window.

“You ready for school again?” he asked, leaning towards her to look out the window as well. When she moved to look at him, she found their faces were inches apart. Again.

 _Why does he keep doing this to me?_ She inwardly gasped as she hurriedly turned back to face the city. As she spoke, she tried to make her voice seem casual, but she was sure it just came out strangled.

“Is anyone ever?”

He chuckled and she felt his laughter in her toes.


	8. New School, Same Ol' Drama (Sort of)

The bell rang out in a set of unfamiliar tones and the group of sixteen and seventeen-year-olds groaned in unison. They stood in the rain, glaring up at the grey-black sky, and then entered the muddy-colored building before they got completely soaked.

“Why can’t we just go back to the old school?” A shrill, obnoxious voice complained as the doors swung closed. “That was _much_ closer to my house.”

“Chloe, you ride in a _limousine_ to school. It doesn’t make a speck of difference to you,” Alya glared at the blonde as she stripped off her blue jacket and hung it next to the door. “Besides, it’s not like they had any choice. The school was damaged during the break; you know that!”

Chloe tossed her hair and glanced at her nails before replying, “Everyone knows that.” Her snide tone did nothing to ruffle Alya’s feathers, however, because Alya and Mari were already heading for their first class.

“I don’t know why you must antagonize her, Al.” Marinette muttered good-naturedly as she held open the door to the plain-looking classroom.

“Because it’s fun, Mari. Simple as that.”

The girls laughed as they chose seats in the second row from the front of the room. Slowly, their classmates trickled in after them and the late bell rang as Chloe walked through the door. Their teacher, who had been sitting at a desk in the front right corner, didn’t even look up when it rang. Marinette strained her neck to see around Juleka, trying to get a view of the desk, to no avail.

They sat, chattering and talking quietly, until there was the squeak of a chair and the person stood up.

“Hello class.”

“Hello,” they chorused back. Marinette was surprised to see how _young_ their new teacher was. His hair was a light brown with natural blonde streaks, his eyes were almost as blue as hers, and his face….Marinette blinked and looked away from him before he could see her staring.

“He’s cute!” Alya leaned over and whispered.

“Shut _up_ ,” Mari growled and blushed. Alya grinned wickedly but was quiet as the man began to speak.

“My name is Jeffrey Jones, but please just call me ‘Jeff.’ I just moved from the States and I dislike the formalities.” The class giggled and he smiled. “Now, I know all of you have had a rough couple months. I’m sorry about the loss of your last school and the complications of everything else, but I sincerely hope we can get back on track ASAP.”

Alya sniggered at the last part and leaned over to whisper in Marinette’s ear, “Did he really just use ‘ASAP’ in real life?”

Mari shook her head and made a shoo-ing gesture to her best friend. Alya ignored her and continued to make snarky comments the rest of the class period.

The bell rang and everyone stood. As the students began to exit the class, Mr. Jones called, “Marinette, would you mind staying behind for a moment?”

She and Alya exchanged startled glances but Mari stayed in her seat as everyone else filed out of the room. Chloe threw her a smug look that said she was sure Mari was in trouble. Marinette sighed inwardly, praying Chloe hadn’t done anything too-Chloe-ish on their _first day back_. She wasn’t sure she could handle it right that second.

As soon as the classroom was empty, Mari stood up and wandered down towards the teacher’s desk. Mr. Jones was ruffling through his papers, seeming to have forgotten she was there.

“Yes, sir?” Marinette finally asked and Mr. Jones jumped.

“Oh, hello.” he smiled at her.

“You....asked me to stay behind…?” Marinette tried to keep the annoyance out of her tone. She didn’t want to be late to her second class.

“Yes, yes,” he said, looking up from his papers and stretching as he straightened. “I had a question for you.”

He didn’t continue immediately and Mari raised an eyebrow at him. He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Do you have a cousin in the States named Michelle Ancelet?”

Mari was stunned by the randomness of the question, but she replied quickly, “Yes, actually.” Her thoughts turned to Michelle, who was her mother’s closest cousin and the very person they had last visited overseas. Michelle lived in the Northwestern part of the States, and they visited her as often as they could. However, Mari wasn’t sure where the conversation was going.

“Aha. I thought I recognized you. I’m sure she’s mentioned me.” He flashed a bright grin at her and she blinked, thinking hard.

“Uhm...no?”

His face fell. “Oh. Hmmm. I was certain she would have.”

“Well,” Mari began, feeling strangely guilty for hurting his feelings, “it has been over a year since I saw her. And last time I did, we mainly talked my life here.”

“Alrighty then,” he grinned suddenly, throwing her off balance. “If that’s the way it is, I should probably re-introduce myself.” He held out a hand to her and she shook it in confusion, “Jeffrey James Jones, nice to meet you.”

“Uhm…Nice to meet you too? How,” she coughed self-consciously, “does Michy know you?”

“Right!” he dropped her hand and grabbed his cell phone from off the desk. He scrolled through it for a moment and then showed it to her. The screen showed a woman who resembled Sabine Cheng very closely: she had the same grey-green eyes and sweet smile, along with the trademark blue locks, flowing down her shoulders. The woman was arm and arm with no one other than Mr. Jones. “She’s actually my best friend.”

“Oh!” Mari was happily surprised by this revelation. “That’s so cool.” She hesitated then, remembering something that Michelle had told her, “You know, she actually _has_ mentioned you. She called you JJ though, so I didn’t make the connection. It’s really nice to meet you.” She grinned at him and he met her smile with a large one of his own. Again, she was struck by how….attractive he was. He couldn’t be more than a couple years older than she was, after all...she started doing the math in her head….

Suddenly, she kicked herself. What was she doing? He was her teacher! Plus, she had Adrien. Okay, she didn’t HAVE Adrien, but he was a giant part of her life. And Chat. She couldn’t forget about Chat. Not that she felt _that_ way about him, but if she should be discovering some kind of attraction for anyone other than _Adrien. Freaking. Agreste._ it really shouldn’t be…

Again, she kicked herself. She was letting her mind get away from her.

“Okay, well I suppose I should let you head to your next class,” her new teacher said with another large smile. She grinned and waved, shoving her bag more securely onto her shoulder.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Talk to ya later,” she hesitated and then added recklessly, “JJ.”

He chuckled and waved back.

Marinette shut the door and hurried to her next class, trying to shove away the unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to simply pretend the whole conversation never happened. She was determined _not_ to mention it to Alya.

No one could know what was going on inside her head. **_No one._ **


	9. Old Foes, New Friends

“I’m not bitter,” Marinette muttered as she stomped to her next class. Her mind was reeling with images of Chloe and her childish actions. She was selfish, just as selfish as the day they met. As Marinette left JJ’s classroom, Chloe stopped her outside and accosted her. She acted like her usual Chloe-self and normally it didn’t bother Marinette. But today...

“I’m not bitter,” Mari growled again under her breath. She was kidding herself though. Of course, she was. No one was immune to Chloe, not even cookie-hearted Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was still muttering curse words about Chloe when she turned the corner and ran smack dab into…someone. A very tall someone.

“Ouch!” she complained as she lost her balance. Inwardly, she chided herself about watching where she was going. Really, she should pay more attention. She landed heavily on the hardwood floor and groaned. 

Above her, someone apologized, “I’m so sorry!”

Mari opened her eyes to see the second-most-handsome boy she had ever met standing above her. His brown hair was in his eyes and he looked uncomfortable as he reached for her hand.

“I didn’t see you! Are you alright?” The boy wrapped his fingers around hers and pulled her up. For a moment, his brown locks fell away from his eyes and their gazes met. His eyes were the most peculiar color she had ever seen. A deep blue that was almost…violet? His eyes were purple. How strange.

He coughed and let go of her hand. Self-consciously, she stopped staring and stepped back.

“No, it was my fault. Excuse me.” She pushed around him as she rushed down the hallway, quite aware that she was blushing  _ as-per-freaking-usual _ .

By the time she got to her next class, Chloe was completely forgotten. This was the one class she didn’t have with her normal classmates. Since multiple schools had been damaged during the fire and subsequent break, her new school consisted of three times the amount of students she was used to. Somehow, she had ended up in a design class, which she was excited about. The only problem, of course, was that she was alone for the first time in years. No Alya, no Nino, no Adrien; not even Chloe. No one.

It felt surreal.

Mari took a seat in the second row from the front and proceeded to rustle around in her bag. She needed her sketchbook, of course. However, at first glance, it wasn’t in her bag. She began to get frustrated and started pulling everything from her bag. She spread all of her things across the top of the desk, glancing at her watch to check the time as she did so. She still had about five minutes before class started.

“Aha!” she found her sketchbook. It was at the bottom, of course. She was about to start putting everything back in her bag when someone cleared their throat. She jumped, glancing up. Startled, she recognized the person. It was the brown-haired, purple-eyed boy from before.

“Is…anyone sitting here?” he asked, gesturing to the seat next to her. Quickly, she shook her head and pulled her books from the spot.

“Thanks.”

Marinette waited for him to say anything else, but he didn’t. After a moment of watching him settle down in the chair, she went back to what she was doing. In a significantly shorter amount of time than before, she had everything but her sketchbook and her pencils shoved back into the overstuffed bag.

Cautiously, she glanced at her table partner. He wasn’t looking at her. He was drawing in a sketchbook and Mari tried not to stare at the artwork. It was better than anything she had seen on paper. It put her rough sketches to shame. He glanced up at her as if he could feel the weight of her gaze, and she blushed.

“Sorry, I, uh, didn’t introduce myself before. I’m Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” She awkwardly held out her hand. He reached over and took it. They shook once, very briefly, and then he dropped her hand like she had shocked him.

“Xander. Xander Jamison. Nice to meet you.” He turned away from her and went back to his sketching. She opened her mouth to speak again, but at that moment, the teacher walked in and class began.

As the bell rang, the design students stood and packed away their things. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to get to lunch, hurrying from the classroom at top speed. Everyone, that is, but a certain purple-eyed boy. 

Marinette stood, hesitating as she hefted her books into her arms. Xander didn’t move from his seat. She opened her mouth, but then bit her lip and told herself to  _ shut up _ .  _ Haven’t you already done enough damage? _

She walked down the row towards the door but stopped before she could push it open. She glanced back at Xander. He was sitting alone in an empty room. Even the teacher had left already. She felt bad leaving him there. With a quiet sigh, she walked quickly back to their desk.

“Aren’t you going to lunch?” she asked.

He glanced up at her, “Probably not.”

“Oh.” Mari turned to leave but forced herself to not be a coward. “Are you new to the area? Did you maybe want to come meet some of my friends?” He looked at her and his expression was blank. She gave him a small smile and he shrugged. He stood, shoving his things into his bag and then he followed her without a word out of the classroom. Mari sighed. Making new friends was hard.


End file.
